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Open Forum
Indo-Bhutan Ties:PM’s Visit Cements Relations,By Monish Tourangbam, 27 June 2008 |
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Round The World
New Delhi, 27 June 2008
Indo-Bhutan
Ties
PM’s Visit Cements Relations
By Monish Tourangbam
(School of International
Studies, JNU)
The recently concluded visit of India’s
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Bhutan was significant in ways more
than one. While, the Wangchuck Dynasty is celebrating its centenary this year
of the coronation of King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, it also was the first
trip by the Indian Prime Minister to the youngest democracy after Bhutan held
its first ever elections in March.
Moreover, the visit also coincided with the 50th
anniversary of India’s first
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit to Bhutan in 1958. And last but not
the least, Singh became the first international leader to be given the honour
to address a joint session of the first elected Parliament of Bhutan on 17 May.
One of the prime issues of focus during the two-day visit
was cooperation in the energy sector (read hydroelectric). Prior to the visit, the
Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon briefed the media on the central need of
forging a more diversified and contemporary economic and energy partnership in
tune with emerging realities.
He said that hydroelectric power cooperation has been an
important element of Indo-Bhutan relations as both countries have signed
bilateral agreements to the effect that all surplus power from the three
commissioned hydroelectric projects in Bhutan
will be sold to India.
In fact, Bhutan
at present utilizes only 30 per cent of its total power generation. The
remaining 70 per cent is sold to India
and this is one of the biggest exports of Bhutan.
During his visit to the newest democracy, the Prime Minister
dedicated the 1,020 MW Tala Hydroelectric Plant, built entirely with Indian
assistance to the people of India
and Bhutan.
He also laid the foundation stone for the 1095 MW Punatsangchu I Hydroelectric
Plant. According to India’s
Ambassador to Bhutan,
Sudhir Vyas detailed project reports for the Punatsangchu II and Mangdechhu
Hydel Power Projects were also nearing completion. During formal talks, Singh
and his Bhutanese counterpart Jigme Yoser Thinley raised the targeted aim of
jointly developed hydroelectric capacity in Bhutan from 5,000 to 10,000 MW by
2020.
The increasing opportunities of India importing
hydroelectric energy from Bhutan assumes importance, now that the Indo-US nuclear
deal is in limbo and the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline is being constrained by
strategic and political considerations. According to Menon, Bhutan
has the potential of producing up to 30,000 MW of hydroelectric power.
According to a study, even if half of this potential is tapped, it will to a
large extent ease the chronic power shortages in Northern
India.
Another important development during Singh’s visit was the
formal announcement of India’s
decision to start construction of the first ever rail-link from Hashimara in
Northern Bengal to Phuntshoeling in Bhutan across the border. This link
is to be called the ‘Golden Jubilee Rail Line’ commemorating Nehru’s first
visit to Bhutan
50 years ago. The Indian Prime Minister promised that the link would connect Bhutan to the entire railway network in India.
Moreover, welcoming the assistance of Rs 100 billion pledged
by the Prime Minister, Thinley asserted that the amount would be spent in
developing hydropower, the proposed rail-link and 10th Five Year
Plan programmes, among other projects.
Though the antiquity of relations between the two nations
can be traced to the influence of missionary Buddhism around the 8th
Century, substantive relationship between the two countries struck roots once India gained Independence. In 1949, Bhutan signed a Treaty of Friendship with India, thus
institutionalizing formal relations between the two sovereign countries. In
1954, the then king of Bhutan,
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck paid a State visit, which was reciprocated by Nehru in
1958.
In the face of numerous changes in international and
regional dynamics over the years, India
has remained the most important development partner for Bhutan.
Reflecting on how Nehru arrived on a horseback in Bhutan in 1958, the Foreign
Secretary commented, “Now the Prime Minister goes by plane. It just goes to
show how economic integration and transport linkages have developed.”
On his arrival in Bhutan,
interacting with Bhutanese and Indian media, Manmohan Singh said, “I have come
with the message for the people and the Government of Bhutan that India stands ready to join hands to strengthen
our relationship, to do our best for accelerated development of Bhutan.”
Forty-seven delegates, including the National Security Adviser M.K.Narayanan,
Principal Secretary TK Nair besides the Foreign Secretary accompanied the Prime
Minister.
Reflecting India’s
commitment to provide ‘every possible assistance’ to Bhutan
in its period of transition, Manmohan Singh emphasized the importance of
working with Bhutan in both
the bilateral and the regional context, to ensure a peaceful South
Asia. Indeed, India
has actively supported the democratic transition of Bhutan
by training poll officials and setting up Bhutan’s
Election Commission, as well as providing over two million dollars in
assistance, including electronic voting machines.
In what is almost an untainted
relationship between the two countries, the security of the porous border has
been of concern to India.
As such, during his visit, the Prime Minister said New Delhi looked forward to continuing
its cooperation with Thimpu on issues related to the national interests of the
two countries and ensuring that their territories were not used for activities
harmful to each other’s national security and interest.
At formal talks, the two sides agreed to
continue their cooperation to keep their border safe and secure. In December
2003 and January 2004, the Bhutanese army had carried out operations to evict
anti-India insurgent groups that had set up camps on Bhutanese soil,
specifically United
Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB)
and Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO).
In recent years, the evolving
relationship between the two countries has seen a momentum of desiring a more
symbiotic relationship. The Bhutanese Prime Minister commenting on the absence
of the ‘Big brother syndrome’ in India-Bhutan relations said the partnership in recent years
in hydropower sector “is changing the nature of our bilateral relationship from
a purely donor-recipient relationship to one of collaboration for mutual
benefit.”
Besides, in February 2007, both countries signed a revised
version of their 57-year-old Friendship Treaty that gives Thimpu more freedom
in the crucial areas of foreign policy and non-lethal military purchases as
long as such decisions do not damage India’s vital strategic interests.
Article 2 of the Treaty, which says that Bhutan
will be guided by India’s
advice while conducting its foreign policy, has been substituted by a language
that speaks of cooperation.
The credibility of the democratic transition in Bhutan will of
course have to withstand the test of time. But, India,
in most likeliness, will be patient and supportive as Bhutan treads
hitherto uncharted territories. Further, there are no doubts in New Delhi as well as in Thimpu regarding the prime
importance that India
occupies in Bhutan’s
calculations. It would be worthwhile to conclude by quoting Manmohan Singh who
said, “The best in India-Bhutan relations is yet to come.”---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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TRS Routed In Andhra:Telengana Statehood WIDE OPEN, by Insaf,5 June 2008 |
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Round The States
New Delhi, 5 June 2008
TRS Routed In
Andhra
Telengana
Statehood WIDE OPEN
By Insaf
The formation of a new State of Telengana from Andhra Pradesh is again wide
open. This follows the resounding defeat of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS)
in the by-elections to four Lok Sabha and 16 Legislative Assembly seats caused
by the en masse resignation of its MPs and MLAs in protest against the Centre’s
failure to carve out Telangana. Out of the four Lok Sabha seats, the TRS
managed to retain only two while the Congress and TDP bagged one seat each. Of
the 18 Assembly seats, the TRS could retain only 7 and the Congress and TDP
wrested 6 and 5 seats each. More humiliating for the TRS was that its supremo K
Chandrasekhar Rao retained his Lok Sabha seat with a slender margin while its
Assembly floor leader had to bite dust. The writing is on the wall: The TRS
faces an uncertain future.
For the Congress reeling under a series of electoral
reversals, the results are a major moral booster. All eyes were on these by-elections
rated as a ‘mini general election’ wherein an adverse result would have
triggered a series of in-house crises. One, its State unit could have split as
belligerent Telangana leaders were on the verge of a revolt against the party high command’s failure to
take a clear stand on the statehood issue. Demonstrated when senior leader G
Venkataswamy forecast the party’s doom in the region at the CWC meet last week.
Leading to senior leader Ahmed Patel visiting Venkataswamy to placate him that
the party would address his concern. Two, it has snuffed out all rebellion
against Chief Minister Y. Rajasekhar Reddy. For its arch rival TDP, the bypolls
provided fresh lease of life.
* * * *
BJP- Governor
Face-off In Karnataka
Barely had the euphoria over its victory in Karnataka sunk
in, that the BJP found itself in a war of wits with the Governor Rameshwar
Thakur. In a take-off on the classic which came-first-chicken-or-egg theory,
both were caught in a Constitutional bind. While the BJP wanted the Governor to
render the special address to the joint session of the Karnataka Legislature,
Thakur asked the Saffron Sangh to first prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly,
before he rendered his address. True, the BJP bowed to the Governor’s diktat,
but in the process it opened the legal Pandora’s Box. Experts stated that the
Governor’s directions were not in consonance with the Constitution. Article 176
states that there shall be a special address by the Governor at the
commencement of the first session. Following which the business of the House shall
be carried on.
The key word is “business”, stress legal experts. According
to the Constitution, “business” of the House implied a floor test also. Hence
technically, the Governor should have addressed the House before he ordered a
floor test, they claim. However, Raj Bhawan thought otherwise. Citing the
Bommai judgment, Governor Thakur held that a floor test was supreme before any
action in the House could be undertaken. The BJP, argued that the Bommai
judgment was just an interpretation and not above the Constitution. Moreover,
the Governor had invited the Party to form the Government only after satisfying
himself that it enjoyed a majority. Clearly, the Governor’s action has reopened
the debate on retired or active politicians being appointed by the Centre to
act as ‘its eyes and ears’ in the State. Thakur, once again has earned the
ignominy of being called the “Centre’s stooge.”
* * * *
PDP-Congress Tussle
Over Governor
After a lull the Congress and the PDP are once again locked
in a tussle. This time on who should be the next occupant of Srinagar’s Raj Bhawan. With the term of
Governor, General (Retd) S.K. Sinha, coming to an end soon, the PDP has
conveyed its preference for a civilian and a secular person. The Chief
Minister, Congress’ Ghulam Nabi Azad begs to differ. He is pushing for another
term for General Sinha. He is skeptical about changing the Governor just months
ahead of the Assembly elections later this year. The Centre on its part, is
hooting for two former Union Home Secretaries, N.N. Vohra and V.K. Duggal.
Adding to the confusion, Governor Sinha too has conveyed to New Delhi his inclination to continue “for
some more time”. However, the Centre continues to hold the gubernatorial cards
close to its chest.
* * * *
Assam-Meghalaya
Fight Over Uranium
Till date the southern states were infamous for boundary
disputes. But this malaise seems to have spread to the north-east where Assam and
Meghalaya are locked in a border row over a remote village Lampih. Following the
potential discovery of uranium in this tiny hamlet. To ensure that Lampih remains
with it, the Assam Government has dangled lots of carrots including a health centre
and motorable roads for 3,200 villagers who have to travel for six hours on
horseback to reach the nearest road. Across the border, the Meghalaya Chief
Minister is not taking things lying down. He has lodged a protest with the
Centre and threatened to use force if Assam encroaches on the area. The
contentious village, 97 km from Guwahati is populated by Nepali, Garo and
Khasis. While the Khasis hoot for
Meghalaya, the Nepalis and Garos bat for Assam. In the fracas, the Uranium
Corporation of India
remains tight lipped.
* * * *
Kerala Strikes
Discordant Note In Congress-CPM Ties
Even as the Left-UPA tango continues, discordant notes are
growing louder in the Red strongholds. The Kerala Chief Minister, V S
Achuthanandan lambasted the Centre for cutting the APL (Above Poverty Line) rice
share of 87 per cent while the State was grappling with the unprecedented price
rise. Accusing the Centre of turning a blind eye to the severe damage to paddy
cultivation due to the unseasonal summer rains in March, the Chief Minister
alleged that the Centre was not willing to grant monies for reviving the crops
and fisheries sectors. He reminded the Centre that the Swaminathan Commission
has recommended a comprehensive Central package to solve the agrarian crisis in
the Idukki district. “But the Centre has not shown any readiness to accept this
report and to grant the required amount,” he asserted.
* * * *
Mamata Drives Wedge
In Left Front
If the RSP walking out of the UPA-Left Coordination
Committee was not bad enough, the Trinamool’s stormy petrel Mamata Banerjee is
busy driving a further wedge between the CPI(M) and its allies in the Left
Front on the issue of land acquisition. Rejecting the Industry Minister plea
that the State Government would work out a consensus with the new Trinamool
Congress-led Zilla Parishads before going ahead with land acquisition, Mamata
asserted: “They are speaking in many voices. We would respond only to those
proposals which have the approval of the Cabinet and the Left Front Committee.”
In support of her stand, she cites the Opposition of the Left partners RSP and
Forward Bloc to setting up of industry on farm land. Adding to the CPM woes its
General Secretary Biman Bose has confessed that the Party lost the Zilla
Parishad elections due to corruption within in its cadres. ----INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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BJP Wins Karnataka:CONGRESS WORRIES ADD UP, by Insaf,29 May 2008 |
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Round The States
New Delhi, 29 May 2008
BJP Wins Karnataka
CONGRESS WORRIES
ADD UP
By Insaf
Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi and her colleagues have reason
to worry. They have not only lost Karnataka, and allowed the BJP to go across
the Vindhayas, but they have fared miserably in the by-elections to the Lok
Sabha and the State Assembly held elsewhere. The Congress lost the Tura Lok
Sabha seat in Meghalaya, where the Nationalist Congress Party candidate Agatha
Sangma defeated her Congress rival by nearly a lakh votes, the Thane seat in Maharashtra to the Shiv Sena and the Hamirpur seat, in
Himachal to the BJP Chief Minister’s son Anurag Thakur. It also lost the
Assembly by-elections in South Amritsar, Punjab
to the Shiromani Akali Dal. In fact, since the Congress-led UPA Government came
to power at the Centre in 2004, it has lost 8 major States: Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Himachal and Gujarat. The only saving grace for the Congress is that
it won two (Indri and Gohana) of the three Assembly seats in Haryana.
More. Notwithstanding the tall
claims made by the BSP and the Samajwadi Party in Karnataka, both Parties failed
to make any impact and failed to win even
a single seat. Recall, the BSP had boasted of winning 15-20 seats and playing
the role of a king maker, whereas the SP, led by former Chief Minister S
Bangarappa, was hoping for a post-poll alliance with ‘like-minded parties’ to
form the Government. Far from it, the SP had to bite the dust. Perhaps now it
can consider a rapprochement with the Congress in the run-up to the General
elections next year. Small parties too, such as Lok Parivartan, formed by
IITians, which had put up a number of candidates in Bangalore and the Sarvodaya Karantaka Party,
formed by farmers and Dalits were unable to open their account for the Vidhan
Soudha.
Meanwhile, the BJP is in an upbeat mood. It sees the Karnataka
poll as a “turning point,” and as its campaign manager Arun Jaitley asserted “the
victory has given a pan-India presence to the Party.” In fact, Karnataka has
helped it create history. The BJP has its Government in South
India, for the first time, without any crutches or a coalition
partner, like it had the JD(S) in the previous election. Of the 224 seats, the BJP
won 110, Congress 80 (up from 65), the JD(S) 28 and Independents 6. The Saffron
Party has crossed the magic figure of 113 seats, a simple majority, by garnering
the support of five of the six Independents, much to the chagrin of Deve Gowda,
who tried hard to get the Congress to form a coalition Government. Now, it is
for the 65-year-old former RSS worker, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, to ensure
that the BJP delivers, specially on issues like inflation and internal
security. More importantly, he needs to ensure that his Government lasts its
full term.
* * * *
Gujjars Lay Siege
In & Around Rajasthan
Yet to come to terms with the terrorists’ attacks a
fortnight ago, Rajasthan is now literally under siege. This time it’s the
Gujjar community which is playing havoc with the law and order situation in the
BJP-led State. In the sixth day of their
agitation for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, hundreds of
Gujjars, under the banner of Rajasthan Gurjjar Arakshan Sangharsg Samiti, have
descended on the streets, railway tracks in the State and even parts of Delhi and UP. Both the
Vasundhara Raje Government and the Centre have been put on high alert, with the
latter rushing additional para-military personnel. So far, 41 Gujjars have been
killed in police firing and hundreds arrested, but no solution appears in
sight. The Gujjar leader Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsala has rejected the State Government’s
offer of a Rs 282 crore special relief package. It seems to be now a tug-of-war
between Raje and Bainsala. Will the Centre come to the rescue?
* * * *
Junoon In Kashmir
It was junoon
alright, but of a different kind in the Kashmir Valley.
A crowd of about 10,000 people, mostly youth, gathered at the Dal Lake, in
Srinagar last
Sunday. No, it was not to protest, but for the biggest musical concert held in two
decades. The youth “rocked” to the rhythmic beats of Pakistan’s sufi band Junoon, which too had braved the terrorists’ threat. “Join
us in a musical jehad for peace and
ring the bells of harmony,” urged the band leader Salman Ahmad to the ecstatic
crowds. The concert was organised by the South Asia Foundation (SAF) to mark
the opening of the Institute of Kashmir Studies at the Kashmir
University and attended by the
Pakistani Human Rights Commission Chairman, SAF’s Pakistan chapter’s chairperson, the
Union Minister for Water Resources Saifuddin Soz among others. Hope the event,
will help defuse the hatred between Pakistan
and India.
* * * *
Cong Strategy To Counter Mayawati
The Dalits in UP are soon to receive a bag full of goodies
from the Centre. The UPA is all set to initiate a number of measures for
Dalits, including a Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana on the lines Ambedkar
villages in UP. All to stall the State Chief Minister Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj
Party from eating into the Congress Dalit vote bank in several States. A
16-member committee of Ministers on Dalit Affairs, headed by Foreign Minister
Pranab Mukherjee has recommended a revamp of the Bharat Nirman guidelines for
the development of villages with over 40 per cent Dalit population. The new
guidelines include: providing free uniforms, footwear and stationary to all SC
children before pre-matric, additional Navodaya Vidyalays in districts with
more than 20 per cent Dalit population, no fees for Dalit students enrolled in
higher classes etc. The ball is now in Mayawati’s court. Let’s see what she has
to offer now.
* * * *
Gun Licences for Women
Dacoit-infested Rewa district in Madhya Pradesh has come up
with a novel idea of empowering its women. It has awarded gun licences for the
first time to 19 of them, who were part of the village defence committee. At
the same time, nine of these women got awards for keeping their villages clean.
Guns, feels the District Collector would not only boost the confidence of women
but also send a strong message to the dacoits that they will not be able to
browbeat the women into submission. Additionally, with certain parts of Rewa
and some areas bordering UP suffering from the dacoit menace, the police at
times asks the village defence committees, which function under respective
police stations, to accompany the raiding party as they know the local terrain.
Clearly, Rewa women have shown the way! ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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Rajasthan Turns Tough:“THROW OUT ILLEGAL BANGLADESHIS”, by Insaf, 21 May 2008 |
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Round The States
New Delhi, 21 May 2008
Rajasthan Turns
Tough
“THROW OUT ILLEGAL
BANGLADESHIS”
By Insaf
Illegal migrants from Bangladesh have cast a long and
sinister shadow across many States following the tragic recent serial blasts in
Jaipur, suspected to be the handiwork of Bangladesh-based terror outfit HuJI. Deep concern is being felt not only at
the Centre but in each State Capital. Immediate measures are being considered.
For one, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje has ordered throwing out all illegal
migrants from the State. On Friday last, all District Collectors and SPs were
told to scrutinize ration cards and voter identity cards with West Bengal
addresses and verify their authenticity with the State Government. An estimated
20,000 Bangladeshi are suspected to be living illegally in Rajasthan, with the majority
claiming to belong to Cooch Behar, North or
South 24-Parganas in West Bengal. Raje is firm
that the verification drill must be completed within a month.
In fact, the BJP Chief Minister has gone a step ahead of the
Centre. In a chat with a leading editor, Raje claimed that the UPA Government wanted
her Administration to round-up all illegal Bangladeshi migrants in the State and
“put them in a transit camp.” The suggestion, said Raje was made by the Union Home
Ministry last June in response to repeated letters from the State Government
about deportation of the illegal Bangladeshis in the State. Besides, the Raje Government
has revived its demand for approval of the Rajasthan Control of Organised Crime
Bill (RCOCA) by the Centre or the reintroduction of the Prevention of Terrorism
Act (POTA) to counter terrorism. She has also insisted that the Centre call a
meeting of all Chief Ministers to discuss internal security, against the
background of the total failure of the intelligence agencies in the recent
blasts. It’s a different matter that now the security agencies are putting out
alert after alert to nearly every city.
* * * *
“Bullet for Bullet”,
Says J&K CM
Meanwhile, even as the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has
made a strong pitch for the setting up of a federal agency to deal with
offences such as terrorism, following the Jaipur blasts, the Jammu &
Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has advocated “a bullet for a bullet”
approach. At a function on Sunday last in Punjab
to disburse funds to terrorism-affected families, Azad was unambiguous: “How
can you initiate talks with terrorists, who after attaining training from
across the border, come to kill you. Either you have to kill him, otherwise you
will get killed.” In addition, the Chief
Minister was of the opinion that the Centre may hold talks with Pakistan, but when
it comes to terrorism there could be no tolerance. With terrorist organizations
getting local support, Azad felt that the Governments of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh & his own J&K should join
hands and fight the menace unitedly.
* * * *
Typical Panchayat
Poll In WB
The Panchayat poll in West Bengal
appears to have lived up to its reputation --- of being the bloodiest local
elections! The three-phase poll which ended on Monday last, has claimed 35
lives so far—one in the first phase, 10 in the second and 23 in the third
phase. The two main rivals, the Congress and CPM in the week-long poll were embroiled
in fierce battles, with cadres unabashedly resorting to firing and hurling crude
bombs. Other parties involved included the Trinamool Congress, RSP and Forward
Bloc. Absurd as it may sound, the IG, law and order, considered the elections a
“success” from the security point of view as “the death toll was below 40 compared
to the 2003 election in which 74 people lost their lives”! However, local
politicians expect the picture to be no different and that the toll may exceed past
figures, with post-poll violence a near-certainty. Evidently, with huge inflow
of money into the three-tier system, every village has now assumed great importance.
* * * *
Badal Exposes
Bhattal
The outcome of the Shiromani Akali Dal- Congress spat over
the recent Panchayat elections held in Punjab
is worth watching out for. Following victory, an upbeat Chief Minister Parkash
Singh Badal has thrown another challenge to the State Congress. Stop doing
stunts and resorting to cheap publicity, he told PCC Chief Rajinder Kaur
Bhattal. The latter along with 41 MLAs is said to have handed in their
resignations to Party President Sonia Gandhi and are demanding President’s
rule. Their reason: the polls 324
members of 20 zila parishads and 141 members of panchayat samitis in 12,705
villages held on 12 May was marred by
violence allegedly by SAD cadres. Two persons including a Congress worker was
killed. Ridiculing Bhattal’s move as cheap publicity, Badal has dared the
Congress leadership to forward the MLAs’ resignation to the Vidhan Sabha Speaker.
After all, “Stuntmanship is no substitute for statesmanship,” said Badal. Will
the Congress MLAs heed?
* * * *
Militant Violence
Affects NE
Militant violence in Assam’s north Cachar Hills has had
a cascading affect on three North-Eastern States of Tripura, Mizoram and
Manipur. The States have been cut off from the rest of the country for nine
days, following the North-East Frontier Railway suspending all trains that pass
through southern Assam
and Tripura. The action by the Railways came after militants killed 13 workers
and kidnapped an engineer early this week. Construction firms stopped work and
an estimated 3,500 workers who were engaged by private firms for laying new
tracks withdrew, fearing fresh militant attacks. So far 25 persons have been
gunned down by militants in the district in the past week. Grain laden rail
wagons are stranded and there is fear that if the situation is not brought
under control, there will be food shortage in the region. The Congress-led Government
in Assam
and the Centre have been urged to take appropriate steps.
* * * *
Ambulance Transports
Money
There is a new ingenuity of carrying cash for contesting an
election. Use ambulances to transport money and liquor, as did politicians in Bellary district, in the Karnataka
Assembly poll! The Election Commission has booked three such cases. A BJP
leader from Bellary,
who runs a charitable trust, allegedly misused an ambulance owned by the trust
for his campaigning. The modus operandi: a person would lie on the stretcher,
with three or four women sitting around him, creating an impression that the
ambulance was carrying a patient. The money and liquor was stacked on the floor
and covered with metal plates. If stopped, the women would plead that the patient
was critical and had to be rushed to the hospital. Nothing was suspected and it
was quite simple. Till, rivals noticed the ambulance making frequent trips to
Davanagree and Chitadurga. On inquiries with the hospital, they were told there
was no such patient. Guess elections can make one creative! ---INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
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Firing On The LOC:PAK ARMY STILL CALLS SHOTS, by Col (Dr.) P. K. Vasudeva, 2 June 2008 |
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DEFENCE
NOTES
New Delhi, 2 June 2008
Firing On The LOC
PAK ARMY STILL CALLS SHOTS
By Col (Dr.) P. K. Vasudeva
(Prof International
Relations, ICFAI Business School)
When
the Kargil operation of the Pakistani military was launched in 1999, India and Pakistan were well on their way to
ushering in a new phase of bilateral relations. At the time, the then Prime
Minister Vajpayee’s Lahore
“bus diplomacy” was on the point of bearing fruit and the peace process would
have followed soon in the interest of both the countries.
It
was at that precise juncture that Kargil occurred. As everyone knows, Kargil
was a Pakistani military operation, with which Pakistani politicians had
precious little to do. It was conceived and conducted by the then ambitious and
power-hungry Pakistani Army Chief, General Pervez Musharraf, and as revealed later
the then Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself was kept in the dark
about it. This fact came to light only after the enemy was evicted from Kargil’s
occupied posts.
However,
the damage was done. Undoubtedly, Kargil put a long spoke in the wheel of
“normalisation” of India-Pakistan relations.
So whoever engineered the military operation wanted — at that moment at
least — to upset the Vajpayee-Nawaz Sharif applecart. Which, in fact, it did.
The
Indian military could not have engineered Kargil, because it strictly abides by
the stipulations of the Constitution. Thus, it could not have struck out on its
own with the object of creating problems for the country’s Prime Minister and
his policy.
The
same cannot be said of the Pakistani military for reasons which are well-known
the world over. Therefore, it stands to good reason to suggest that the top
Pakistani military leadership did not like what was happening between New Delhi and Islamabad
on the diplomatic front, which led it to engineer Kargil.
It
is of course another matter that not long after Kargil, Nawaz Sharif himself
had to go. He fell victim to the military establishment which replaced him with
General Pervez Musharraf. Unfortunately, history is repeating itself. Presently
too, the new Gilani-led Government is not stable and it is doubtful if the
present coalition will survive. Already fissures have come to light.
Today,
as far as public perception is concerned, President Musharraf is no longer in
the ‘hot seat’ as it were, the politicians having “taken over”. Within the
military itself, there has been some change. There is a new Army Chief.
But
have things really changed in Pakistan
today, as regards the politician-military divide? Seen differently, can one
argue that the assassination of Benazir Bhutto has effectively moved the
Pakistani military establishment to the second position? Have the recent
elections, giving the civilian Pakistani society, led by its politicians, the
power once again to call the shots?
Questions
which have no easy answers. As it stands, the Gilani-led coalition Government
has started showing cracks once again as Nawaz Sharif is threatening to withdraw
his Party’s support of it. Primarily because the PPP Chief Asif Zardari is not
ready to reinstate the ‘forcibly’ retired judges. Zardari seems to have joined
hand with President Musharraf which holds dangerous signals --- of the Army
coming back to power.
Significantly,
the recent firing on the Line of Control (LoC) clearly suggests that nothing
has changed in Pakistan
as far as the power structure is concerned. The military continues to wield
absolute power but is currently hiding behind the fig-leaf of the poll results
which have, on the face of it, shifted the balance of power to the politicians.
The LoC firing cannot help the process of normalisation of
relations between the two countries, just as Kargil did not in its day. The
inference is that the Pakistani military is once again at work, telling the
politicians that they really amount to nothing in the power structure of Pakistan’s
society.
Moreover, by keeping the military pot boiling is Islamabad’s way of impressing on New
Delhi that Pakistan
is a force to reckon with. Further, whenever India
test fires its Agni long range missiles Pakistan retaliates by test firing
its Haft missiles. Islamabad’s
signal is loud and clear: We also mean business.
More
important is the extent of the hold, if any, which General Musharraf has on the
Armed Forces, through his loyal lieutenants who still enjoy enormous clout in
the military. The simple question is: Did Musharraf have any role to play in
organising the LoC firing and sending infiltrators across the LoC to cause
disturbance in Jaipur blasts and elsewhere in the country? The answer is yes.
Clearly,
the Indian Armed Forces cannot lower its guard on its side of the LoC. It has
to remain vigilant not only to ward off any untoward situation but also protect
its positions on the LoC because the Pakistani military is capable of pulling
of surprises as it did a la Kargil in 1999.
The
Samba incident and subsequent firing is a live example of the type of
adventurism the Pakistani Army is competent of launching. History is replete
with such skirmishes before Islamabad
launches actual operations.
The
news of Musharraf leaving the country due to political pressure is a welcome
sign but one has to wait and watch and keep our fingers crossed. ---- INFA
(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)
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